PURPOSE: To enable display of output on recording paper with a comparatively simple mechanism by arranging the second travel lens in the same optical path as that of the first travel lens which focuses a character image on printing paper, and guiding the character image focused by the second travel lens to an ink mist recording head to convert the character image to an ink image.

CONSTITUTION: If characters are selected from a character disk 2, a light is projected from a light source 1, and then is allowed to enter the first travel lens 5 passing through a lens system 3. After this, an optical image reflected by a 90° mirror forms on printing paper 6. The light travelling straight through the mirror of the first travel lens 5 is allowed to enter the second travel lens 9, then finds its way through an ink mist recording head 11. There an optical character image is converted to an ion stream and the ink mist is allowed to stick to recording paper 10a as an ink image by the ion stream. If this technique is employed, it is possible to record and display data on the recording paper 10a directly using the ink mist recording head 11 without the use of a TV camera or a CRT, in addition to recording to the printing paper 6.